Report urges Tories to de-unionize Alberta

The Alberta government has endorsed a report that calls for "right-to-work" laws and suggests that "de-unionization" is a key to improving the province’s global competitiveness.

Tucked away in the middle of the 158-page report from the government’s Future Summit is a short section talking about ways to improve the productivity of Alberta’s workforce. Three strategies are discussed, including improved education, incentives for entrepreneurship and a call to "de-unionize" Alberta.

"This is more of the same anti-union rhetoric we’ve come to expect from this government," says Alberta Federation of Labour president Les Steel.

Steel says research shows that workers in unionized industries are at least as productive – and often more productive – than non-union workers.

He also said that right-to-work laws aren’t really about protecting rights for workers. What they’re really intended to do is make it easier for employers to bust unions.